1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotating electric machine including a terminal device for electrically connecting an external device provided outside a casing to an internal device provided inside the casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a related-art AC generator for a vehicle, an output terminal projects in a radial direction of a rear bracket. A terminal electrically connected to a harness on a vehicle side is inserted into the output terminal and is securely fastened by a nut. In this manner, power of the AC generator for a vehicle is output to a device on the vehicle side.
In recent years, as an output of the AC generator for a vehicle, a high output equal to or higher than 200 A is required. Therefore, such a high current flows through the output terminal. The output terminal is generally firmly fixed integrally with an insulating bush made of a resin and is mounted to a heat sink of a rectifier or the like (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3974560).
The related-art AC generator described above has a problem in that the output terminal generates heat by a flow of the high current to cause a rise in temperature of semiconductor elements such as diodes constituting the rectifier provided in proximity to the output terminal.
Moreover, there is another problem. Specifically, the heat generation of the output terminal leads to thermal deterioration and thermal contraction of the insulating bush made of a resin. As a result, the fastened nut is loosened to lower a force applied by the nut for fastening the harness-side terminal to the output terminal.